The present invention relates to a network management system for managing a network. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method, apparatus and computer program for allowing management of a network by use of network equipment, being managed on the network by a network management system, by preferentially displaying partial information related to the network equipment that is required for network management on the network equipment.
Generally, a network management system for collecting management information from each of plural network equipment existing in a network and storing the management information in the network management system is used for managing a network. Information required for network management including the collected management information is displayed by the network management system. Particularly, the network management information being displayed includes a configuration of the network being managed in the form of a map in which the network is schematically shown.
A network is divided into hierarchies such as geographical classification, management classification and detailed information and is displayed in the form of a map having a plurality of hierarchical levels as described on pages 60 to 65 in xe2x80x9cHewlet-Packard Journalxe2x80x9d, April 1990. Such is performed so that a management operator can readily grasp a large-scale complicated network configuration at an instant. A technique for changing displayed contents of a configuration according to a management operator in consideration of a case that a network management system is used by plural managers is disclosed in Japanese published unexamined patent application No. 7-312596. A technique for enabling an arbitrary computer except a network management system, to access the same contents as contents displayed by the network management system utilizing a web browser is disclosed on pages 38 and 39 in xe2x80x9cNikkei Computerxe2x80x9d November 11 Appendix 1996 as a type of network management in the environment of an Internet/intranetwork. However, in such a technique, a web browser which can access only one screen at a time cannot access plural maps simultaneously when, for example, in case a network management system displays a map for each hierarchy level. Thus, there is a problem that the display of a network configuration using a web browser is difficult to grasp. The utilization of a web browser allows network equipment which is managed by a network management system, to access the same contents displayed by the network management system and to execute network management.
For a user who executes network management via network equipment which is managed by a network management system may be either an end user or a management operator. However, an end user often requires partial information related to the managed network equipment being used of information required for network management. Similarly, a management operator may also require partial information related to the managed networks equipment being used. Such partial information is not supplied. Thus, a user who uses managed equipment is required to find the partial information related to the managed equipment being used. That is, the user must find partial information corresponding to the same contents as that displayed by a network management system. However, as the information volume of contents displayed by a network management system is enormous, the operation to find such partial information is very burdensome.
In conventional apparatus disclosed in Japanese published unexamined patent application No. 7-312596, only a change in the displayed contents performed by a management operator at, for example, a network management system which manages network equipment on a network are effected. Thus, when a management operator executes network management via a managed network equipment on the network the contents of the display are not changed.
An object of the present invention is to enable preferentially displaying partial information, related to network equipment being managed on the network by a network management system, equipment of information required for network management when network management is to be executed on the network equipment.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a network which is managed by a network management system. The network management system collects management information from each of a plurality of network equipment existing in the network and stores the management information collected from the plural network equipment. Network management of the network can be accomplished in response to a request from one of the network equipment by accessing the network management system and causing the network management system to transfer a program for managing the network to the network equipment requesting network management. The network equipment requesting network management informs the network management system of identification information for identifying the network equipment using the transferred program. The network management system then transfers partial information related to the network equipment as indicated by the identification information. The partial information includes information required for network management by the network equipment. The network equipment then displays the transferred partial information.
According to the present invention since partial information related to the network equipment requesting network management is transferred from the network management system to the network equipment and displayed on the network equipment, a user is not required to find partial information related to the network equipment being used. Therefore, the user can immediately execute network management.
If a browser has been installed in the network equipment and a program for managing a network has not been installed in the network equipment, then the network equipment can still effect management of the network according to the present invention. In the present invention the network equipment displays partial information obtained by a program for managing a network transferred from a network management system. Thus, a user can execute network management via the network equipment utilizing the browser. Therefore, the present invention provides a network management tool that can be installed in a network management system.
It should be noted that the present invention can be implemented using a computer program written in the JAVA programming language (JAVA is a trademark of Sun Microsystems Inc.) or the ACTIVE X programming language (ACTIVE X is a trademark of Microsoft Inc.). The ACTIVE X programming language is similar in operation to the JAVA programming language. In the present invention the program transferred from the network management system to the network equipment requesting network management can be written in the form of an xe2x80x9cAppletxe2x80x9d which causes the display of the partial information on the network equipment. An Applet is a special program transferable on a network that can be executed in the receiving computer. The Applet is activated when transferred from the network management system to the network equipment.
A first embodiment of the present invention provides a network management tool that can be installed in a network management system for collecting management information from each of a plurality of network equipment connected to a network, storing the management information therein and displaying the configuration of the network in the form of a plurality of hierarchically arranged maps. The network management system includes a display program which is activated when it is transferred to a network equipment. The display program, which can be an Applet in the JAVA or ACTIVE X programming languages, causes the display of information required for network management on a network equipment requesting network management of the network. The network management system also includes a transfer program for transferring the display program to the network equipment requesting management (hereinafter called xe2x80x9cmanagement request equipmentxe2x80x9d) and an information program for informing the display program transferred to the management request equipment of information required for display to effect network management.
The first embodiment of the present invention also provides a managed terminal included in each of the network equipment connected to the network. The managed terminal includes a transfer request program for requesting transfer of the display program when network management is to be conducted from the network equipment in which the managed terminal is installed.
The information program of the network management system executes processing for generating inclusive relationship information showing inclusive relationships among components on the network related to the network equipment specified by the display program transferred to the management request equipment. The network equipment is included in the hierarchically arranged maps that the network management system displays. The information program informs the display program of the generated inclusive relationship information. The display program executes processing for specifying the management request equipment by collecting identification information for identifying the management request equipment, informing the information program of the collected identification information and causing the display of a partial network configuration related to the management request equipment in the form of an inclusive tree based upon the inclusive relationship information informed by the information program.
According to the first embodiment, the partial network configuration related to the management request equipment can be preferentially displayed on the management request equipment. Particularly, as the hierarchically arranged maps are displayed in the form of an inclusive tree shown on one screen in the management request equipment, a user using the management request equipment can readily grasp the partial network configuration related to the management request equipment. Management in the above-described manner can be effected even if a browser being used can access only one screen at a time.
If a partial network configuration related to the management request equipment is not necessarily required to be displayed on one screen, the network management system may be constructed so that the information program executes processing for informing the display program of a partial map related to the network equipment specified by the display program transferred to the management request equipment. The display program executes processing for specifying the management request equipment by collecting identification information for identifying the management request equipment and informing the information program of the collected identification information. Thereafter the display program executes a processing for causing the display of the partial map as informed by the information program.
Also, if one screen is used and partial network configuration related to the management request equipment is not necessarily required to be displayed, the network management system may be constructed so that the information program executes processing for generating inclusive relationship information showing inclusive relationships among components included in each of the hierarchically arranged maps that the network management system displays. The information program also executes a processing for informing the display program of the generated inclusive relationship information. The display program executes processing for causing the display of the configuration of the network in the form of an inclusive tree based upon the inclusive relationship information from the information program.
In the above-described first embodiment, the display program can further execute a processing for causing the deletion of components selected by an external device if the selected components are shown in an inclusive tree, a processing for acquiring the inclusive relationship information from the information program of components selected by an external device not shown in an inclusive tree and a processing for causing the addition of a partial network configuration, related to a selected component of an inclusive tree, to the inclusive relationship information from the information program. The partial network configuration is obtained in response to a request for inclusive relationship information.
The information program can further execute a processing for generating inclusive relationship information showing inclusive relationships among components. The inclusive relationship information is required by the display program which causes the display of components included in each of the hierarchically arranged maps that a network management system displays and requested by the management request equipment for network management. The information program also executes a processing for informing the display program of the generated inclusive relationship information. Using the above-described features of the present invention a user of the management request equipment can delete an unnecessary part of the information being displayed and can add information to a part of the information being displayed deemed insufficient.
Further, in the above-described first embodiment, the information program can further execute a processing for calculating the number of components included in a map of a lower order level of the hierarchically arranged maps. The components correspond to components in each of the higher order level maps. The hierarchically arranged maps are displayed by the network management system. The components of the lower order level maps are hereinafter called xe2x80x9clower order componentsxe2x80x9d. The information program also executes a processing of informing the display program transferred to the management request equipment of the calculated number of low order components. The display program executes a processing for causing the display of the number of lower order components from the information program together with all of the components shown in an inclusive tree. Using the above-described features of the present invention a user of the management request equipment can be informed of the number of components included in each of the components included in an inclusive tree by seeing the displayed number of lower order components.
Further, in the above-described first embodiment, the display program can further execute a processing for causing a part of the information displayed on the management request equipment related to the management request equipment to be highlighted. Using the above-described features of the present invention a user of the management request equipment can readily find a part related to the management request equipment within the displayed information.
A second embodiment of the present invention, similar to the first embodiment, provides a network management tool having a network management system and a managed terminal included in each of the network equipment as described above. However, the configuration of the network management system in the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the network management system periodically collects event information from each of the network equipment connected to the network. The event information collected from the network equipment is stored in the network management system as an event log which includes information concerning the IP address of the network equipment in which an event has occurred, the time of the event, and information concerning the type of event. The display program when transferred to the management request equipment and activated by the transfer is informed of event information by the network management system. Thereafter the display program causes the display of event information from the network management system related to the management request equipment so as to permit network management. The second embodiment allows a user to expand the details of the event information being displayed on the management request equipment.
A third embodiment of the present invention, similar to the first embodiment, provides a network management tool having a network management system and a managed terminal included in each of the network equipment as described above. However the configuration of the network management system in the third embodiment is different from that in the first embodiment in that the network management system allows for retrieval of management information which satisfies a particular retrieval condition set by a user at a managed terminal which is included in a network equipment management request equipment. The management information which satisfies the set retrieval condition is management information related to the management request equipment. The user when using the managed terminal in the third embodiment may set the attribute of a retrieval condition through a retrieval screen displayed on the management request equipment.
A fourth embodiment of the present invention, similar to the first embodiment, provides a network management tool having a network management system and a managed terminal included in each of the network equipment as described above. However, the configuration of the network management system is different from that in the first embodiment in that a network management system determines the performance capabilities of the management request equipment and transfers an amount of management information to the management request equipment according to the determined performance capabilities. This feature of the fourth embodiment allows for the details of the display of management information to be set in accordance with the performance capabilities of the management request equipment.